It was a shame that her birthday was so soon after her anniversary, she would have loved to spread the pampering to different parts of the year. If ev...rything went according to plan, though, she would soon have Mother’s Day. Ashley threw her jacket on the sofa and her purse to the coffee table. She considered watching the television to catch up on world event but the soothing bath was too great a temptation. Ashley started to the bedroom to get undressed. As she walked through the dark hallway. "Have you been offered a reduced sentence on those charges for your testimony today?" Allyson pushed.Currence shook his head and sighed."I will face a stiffer sentence if the defendant in this case is convicted of capital charges," Currence answered. "If he is convicted on a lesser charge, I will be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. If he is convicted on a capital charge, I will serve life without the possibility of parole. I gain nothing from coming. " Have you spoken to victim?" I asked. I was pretty sure I knew the answer."We have not," the woman said. "We don't have a way to reach her." The police here know where she is," I replied angrily. "Have you contacted the police here?"Again there was silence."Jesus Christ," I said and slammed the phone down.The drive to Malden was completely enjoyable.Carrie took the news about Robert Lemons stoically. It seemed she almost expected it."If the state police hadn't nabbed the bastard he would have. God, at my age you would think I would have given up the schoolgirl crush thing. Our visits were always the same. They were not always in Chicago but the routine was the same. We usually meet up at the airport or the hotel, we return to my house, his hotel room or mine and nothing is more important than simply dropping the bags down at the point of entry, getting naked right away and making love. We make love for hours on end to the point we over-exhaust ourselves. We fall asleep in a pool.